That Next Big Step
by Aedammair
Summary: There are lots of stages in relationships. Daniel Jackson is trying to figure out just what stage he and Aeda Harrison fit into. Companion to The Assistant.
1. Wake Up Call

Dr. Aeda Harrison's phone rang at five-thirty in the morning, waking her from a particularly nice dream. She knew the time precisely because the ring of her phone corresponded with the buzz of her alarm clock. A headache-inducing symphony transpired and she quickly smacked the alarm clock, picking up the phone as she rolled onto her back and away from the angry red numbers.

"Good morning, beautiful," a familiar and welcomed voice intoned. Reflexively, she smiled. "Rise and shine."

"Cocky, aren't we?" She stretched her toes. "And what if a man had answered?"

"Well, then, we'd both have some explaining to do."

She laughed. "Why are you up so early? Or is it late?"

"We just got in. You're my first civil conversation of the day." He sounded homesick.

"I could be grumpy, if you like."

"I'd rather you weren't. Besides, Sam's laid claim on that dwarf."

She smiled again. Bear's claws clicked against the wooden floor in the hallway and in a moment or so he was up on the bed with her. "Let me guess – Cameron's Dopey, Teal'c is Bashful, and you're…Sleepy."

He yawned on cue. "Touché."

"What's Sam's problem?" She shifted a little so Bear could tread his three circles and then lay down, which he did – on top of her legs. "Or is just exhaustion?"

He sighed, perfectly in synch with the Boxer. "There was an incident a couple of weeks back, someone from her past. She hasn't seen Jack in a couple of months. I think she's –" he paused to yawn, "deprived."

"Or confused."

"Maybe." He switched gears. "So, any plans involving Colorado?"

"You need to work on your subtle subject changes," she said with a laugh, which he returned. "As for Colorado, I was going to call you this afternoon."

"What's up?"

"An archeological conference here, at Harvard. You're area of expertise, actually."

"Really?" She could hear the excitement in his voice. "When?"

"Hold on a sec, let me find my day planner." She reached over the bed and fished the black book from her satchel. She opened it. "Last weekend in March. They need a keynote speaker for that Friday, if you're interested." Secretly, she hoped he'd say 'yes', mostly because she'd already given the Department Chair his name and contact information, but also because she really wanted to see him.

"Sure. I've got a week or so of leave coming, especially after the fiasco of the last couple of months."

She grinned at the ceiling, elated. "I'll even change my sheets."

He laughed. "I love it when you remind me of how much I miss you."

She scoffed in mock outrage. "You mean you forget?"

"Only in life threatening situations."

"Comforting."

"I thought so."

She laughed, then, and Bear stuck his nose in her palm, sniffed a couple of times, then went back to sleep. "Go to bed, Sleepy. I'll call you this afternoon with the details. And hey, if you get the time, talk to Sam. Obviously there's something wrong."

"Sounds good and I will." He paused and she pictured the look on his face: inner conflict and confusion.

She decided to bail him out of it. "Love you," she said softly.

His relief was almost tangible, even through the phone. "Love you, too," he said and hung up the phone.

She looked at Bear, who was once again awake and contemplating the current state of affairs. "This whole long distance thing, it kind of sucks." Bear cocked his head, his left ear hanging at a weird angle. It gave him a slightly intelligent look. "I wonder if the University of Colorado is in need of a Theory professor."

She couldn't believe she'd actually spoken that out loud. Bear, on the other hand, wagged his tail as if he understood the exact implications of that statement.

"Traitor," she said with a smile and got up to get ready for work.

* * *

He suspected that finding Sam and pulling the truth from her was a bad idea. In fact, he suspected that if he didn't run fast enough after asking the question, she'd hurt him. Suspicions aside, he made his way up to her lab and knocked on the doorjamb, just loud enough to be heard.

"Hey Daniel," she said and managed a little smile. "How come you're still up?"

He crossed the lab and sat down across her workbench from her, folded his arms over his chest and took on his best concerned older brother look. "I could ask you the same question."

She motioned to the laptop in front of her and the piles of notes surrounding it. "Working on an energy theory. I'd tell you about it, but even I'm having trouble explaining it at this point." She sat back, rubbed her hands over her face and through her hair. "How's Aeda?"

It took him off guard. "How'd you know I talked to her?"

Her smile widened a little. "Even with your stern older brother face on, I can see the smile in your eyes. Either it was Aeda or you found chocolate cake in the commissary."

"Well, I would have brought you chocolate cake if I found some."

She nodded. "Precisely."

"Now it's my turn. How's Jack?"

Her smile faded and the lines on her forehead deepened. "Bad subject."

"Sam…"

She silenced him with a look. "Maybe some people aren't meant to be together, Danny. Not everyone gets a happy ending."

Any other day, he'd have let her wallow in self-pity, but at the current moment he was tired and sick of listening to her berate herself for something she wouldn't allow to happen. So, he let her have it in classic Daniel Jackson fashion. He tried to rationalize with her.

"Remember the whole ripple effect incident?" he asked and she nodded. "How many Sams did you encounter?"

She shrugged. "Eighteen, I think. At least that's the number I lost count at."

He nodded. "Eighteen versions of you and do you know how many of them were happily married to a certain General Jack O'Neill back in their realities?" She said nothing. "Seventeen, Sam."

This caught her attention. "Which one wasn't?"

He smiled slightly. "Your evil twin. Apparently, without Jacob's death, Jack never took the initiative. You married Pete."

Sam laughed softly. "No wonder she was my evil twin."

"So, again, when's the last time you talked to Jack?"

She sighed, seemed to lose an inner battle with herself, and leaned forward to rest her arms on the worktable. "A couple of weeks ago. He's coming to visit, actually, in the next couple of days." She smiled, almost to herself. "I took the weekend off. Here's hoping nothing goes wrong."

He laughed. "We're SG-1, Sam, something always goes wrong. Us boys can hold down the fort, though." He reached out, took her hand in his and squeezed. "You'll figure it out – you always do."

"It isn't a mathematical equation, Daniel. There isn't an easy answer here."

He shrugged. "So?"

She grinned, returned his hand squeeze. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Now," he let go of her hand and stood up, stretched, "let's go get some food and some sleep, preferably in that order."

She stood and followed him out of the lab. "You know, you never did tell me how Aeda's doing," she said while they walked down the hallway.

He put his hands in his pockets and nodded. "She's good. Highly overworked and such, but good." They rounded the corner and spied Cameron near the entrance to the commissary. "She invited me out to Boston the end of this month."

"Are you going to go?" she asked.

He nodded. "I don't get to see her very often, so any chance I can get."

"See who?" Cameron asked as he met up with them.

Daniel looked at Sam quickly and grasped for an easy lie. "My…sister," he said. Sam grinned at him.

Cameron looked confused. "Your sister?" Daniel nodded. "I didn't even know you had a sister."

"Yeah, well, she's a professor on the east coast, we don't see each other that often."

"What's her name?"

"Hey, I see chocolate cake," Sam said, which immediately took Cameron's attention away from Daniel's personal life and imaginary sister. As they followed the flyboy into the commissary, Sam leaned over and whispered, "You so owe me."

He laughed. "Just add it to my tab."


	2. I Went to Harvard

Samantha Carter was late – oh, so incredibly late – for a very important meeting with a very important dignitary that had done something…very important. She should have left the house by six to avoid traffic. It was currently ten past eight and the meeting was at nine. Talk about everything going wrong all at the same time.

She'd lost her shoes.

She'd broken the button off her pants.

And the kicker? Absolutely no hot water in a ten-mile radius of her house. She'd checked by calling Cameron. He didn't have hot water either, but unlike her, he wasn't all that worried about it.

So, after a quick and cold shower, a thorough search of her house for her only good set of high heels, and the realization that she could safety pin her pants closed and wear a longer shirt, she was almost ready to leave. In fact, if she hadn't forgotten her car keys in her bedroom, she would have been out the door three minutes earlier.

Of course, if she'd been out the door three minutes earlier, she would have missed her visitor.

She opened the door only to find General Jack O'Neill with his hand raised to knock on it, a goofy smile on his face and two cups of coffee balanced in his other hand. She was so surprised she dropped her bag and keys on the floor.

"Good morning, gorgeous," he said. "Coffee?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I told you I was coming to visit."

"I know, but not until Friday. It's Thursday. I have a huge meeting that I'm already late for."

He held out one of the coffee cups, which she took, and shrugged. "I'm a General, Sam, who just happens to have been in charge of the SGC at one point in time. I'll come with you andhang out with Daniel while you're at your meeting."

"Daniel's in Boston, visiting your goddaughter," she said in response to the latter, which made his eyebrows arch in surprise. Then she processed the former and finally smiled. "Oh yeah, you're a General."

"Oh yeah," he repeated and leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the lips. "Grab your bag and I'll drive."

"Not so fast, flyboy," she said and pulled him in for a much longer kiss. When they broke apart, she reached down and picked up her bag and her keys. "_Now_ we can go."

His eyes were practically glazed over and it took him a full minute to register that she was leaving the house and locking the door. "Are you sure this meeting's important?" he asked as soon as he snapped out of it and followed her down the steps of her front porch.

"Yes, Jack," she said with a grin.

"Just checking."

As she climbed into the passenger seat of his rental car she had to wonder why she'd been so concerned earlier. He was Jack – the safe bet – and he was sitting next to her, smiling at her, suggesting with his eyebrows that clothes would be optional later on in the evening.

"You're undressing me with your eyes, aren't you?" he asked, breaking her thought pattern.

She couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

Danielhad, on more than one occasion, gotten lost on his way to Aeda's Back Bay apartment building. Boston was a maze of one-way streets to begin with – adding his ineptitude at city driving to the equation usually equaled a lot of honking horns and the general feeling of being a jackass. It was his least favorite part of visiting her and it could have easily been solved by actually telling her when his plane would arrive so she could do the whole driving and parking thing, but he liked to surprise her. So, each time he came to visit, he rented a car and he went through driving hell all over again.

He cheered aloud when he pulled onto her street and spied a parking space not that far from the oversized brick building she lived in. Of course, his parallel parking skills left much to be desired, but that was why he'd rented a compact car. If worse came to worse, he'd get out and push it into a spot.

He parked and grabbed his bag from the back seat. His laptop was under the front seat and he pulled it out carefully. The man at the Denver airport had not been as gentle with his laptop as he had been with the barely clothed woman in front of him so he was desperately trying to make it up to the abused machine. Finally, his gear all gathered, he got out of the car and headed towards the familiar building.

Aeda lived on the bottom floor, in the back, and had used her access to the little plot of land behind the building to construct a garden, usingthe ample produce to feed most of the people on her block. So, when he rung the bell and no one answered, he figured that she was outside. He reached up, grabbed her spare key and opened the door. He dropped his stuff on the couch, and walked through the spacious apartment and out onto the deck.

She was covered in dirt and so was Bear, who had a carrot in his mouth and was simply refusing to give it to Aeda. He wasn't even chewing on it – he was just holding it in his mouth like he would a bone. Upon seeing Daniel, however, the Boxer dropped the carrot and ran at him, full force.

"Bear, no," he said in hopes of staving off the dirty paw prints he'd accumulate if the lovable creature decided to jump on him. Bear pulled to a stop just inches away from him and sniffed. "Good dog," he said and reached out to pet him. Bear took it as an opportunity and jumped up on him, which reduced Aeda to giggles.

"You're a pain in the ass," he said.

"Aw, don't talk to him that way. He's very sensitive," she said as she stood and wiped her hands on her already filthy jeans.

"I was referring to you," he countered and received a playful frown.

"You look tired," she said as she approached him.

"I hate driving through this city," he said.

"Well, if you didn't always insist on surprising me, I'd come get you and remedy that problem." She stopped at the edge of the deck and smiled up at him.

"Ah yes, but it's so much nicer to hear you exclaim, 'Why, Daniel, what are you doing here?'" He quirked his eyebrow pointedly.

She took the hint. "Why, Daniel, what are you doing here?" she said with false sweetness.

He stepped down from the deck and leaned in to kiss her. "You smell like dirt," he said.

She laughed. "You always say the nicest things," she said and smudged a line of dirt along his nose before meeting his lips with her own. He immediately remembered why he hated living in Colorado.

She pulled away, very slightly, and smiled. "How does grilled chicken and fresh veggies sound for dinner?" she asked.

"It sounds wonderful," he said.

She patted him on the chest and then moved past him and into the apartment. He followed her into the kitchen, shutting the deck door behind him so Bear couldn't come in and rub dirt onto every flat surface. The Boxer looked in at him with an expression akin to "no you didn't".

"Good, because we're having takeout." She took the phone from its cradle and handed it, plus a menu, to him with a smile. "Order whatever you want. I'm going to go take a shower."

He watched her walk towards her bedroom, unbuttoning her dirt-covered shirt as she did so. He looked down at the menu, then back up at her – just in time to see the familiar green shamrock tattoo on her back.

"I definitely got the short end of the stick on this one!" he shouted and was rewarded with her laughter as the bathroom door closed.

Bear barked in agreement.

* * *

This one is driving me crazy! I have the end written but I'm having trouble filling in the middle. Keep reading and keep reviewing! Thanks! 


	3. Flustered

I just realized that I never did the whole introductory thing in the first chapter so here it is, a day late and a dollar short (as my dad would say):

This one is set about a year after "The Assistant", which I'm sure most of you have already figured out, and it's not exactly cannon because let's face it SG-1 never has downtime, but for right now they do.

Some bits of Boston have been changed because I can't remember the layout exactly and I'm a little too busy right now to get out my tourist map. Forgive me for the altering - Harvard is pretty much the same, though.

They don't belong to me, so please don't sue. Thanks :-)

* * *

It was just after eight on Friday morning when they arrived on campus and parked behind Jefferson and Lyman, where the Physics Department was located. Aeda took his hand as they walked across Oxford Street and towards the Peabody Museum, which would house the conference over the next couple of days. It was the first time she'd showed him that kind of public affection and he looked at her in surprise.

"What?" she asked, smiling.

The early spring sun was bringing out the red highlights in her hair and on impulse he brushed some of the curls from her face. "Nothing," he said and squeezed her hand.

His keynote speech would be at one, just after the opening luncheon. Aeda had two classes between now and then and had cancelled her afternoon sessions so she could attend his speech and whatever else he wanted to go listen in on. His plan was to hole up in her office, go over his notes, and try to remember just why he'd agreed to do this in the first place.

They reached the front entrance and he opened the door for her. She headed towards the back and turned left down a hallway. He followed her and they stopped in front of a glass-paned door, much like hers, with the name "Dr. Karen Jefferson" stenciled in black letters. Aeda knocked and when a soft voice called "come in" she opened the door and stepped into the office.

"Goodness, Aeda, you're four hours early," the stout, gray-haired woman behind the desk said with what sounded like mock distress. "You're lucky I'm even dressed."

Aeda smiled. "Perhaps you should consider going home every once in awhile."

"My husband likes the solitude, or so he tells me." She stood and came around to stand in front of Daniel and Aeda. "This must be the illustrious Dr. Daniel Jackson." She held out her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Dr. Jackson."

He accepted her hand. "Please, call me Daniel."

"Well, then, Daniel, call me Karen. I abhor professionalism between colleagues - seems ridiculous." She smiled at Aeda. "Don't I, dear?"

"She does. As well as children, snow, and the Yankees."

Dr. Jefferson laughed and patted Aeda on the arm. "Yes, but snow is beginning to grow on me." She went back around her desk and motioned for the two of them to occupy the chairs opposite her. "I've heard some interesting things about you, Daniel," she said as soon as they were seated.

Daniel's defenses rose. "I should probably tell you that my early career was wasted," he said slowly.

She shrugged. "So was mine, for that matter. I spent it in China believing I was doing the US government a great deal of harm, working with a communist nation,when no one even knew I was there. We all do foolish things in youth and who knows? Maybe aliens really did use the pyramids as landing pads. You could be on to something." Her smile was extremely mischevious for an older woman.

He decided at that moment thatshe was one of his favorite people. When he looked over at Aeda, she smiled serenely at him .

"Aeda tells me that you work for the Air Force now."

He nodded. "I do, in Colorado."

"Anything exciting?"

He glanced again at Aeda, and smiled as she repressed a slight giggle. "Not really. It's some basic identification and recovery work; sometimes a dig will open up overseas. I've been doing some diplomatic work recently, which is interesting."

Dr. Jefferson smiled widely. "In other words, it's all very hush-hush and you'd have to kill me if you told me."

He grinned. "Precisely."

"I like him," she said to Aeda.

"Me too," Aeda replied.

When Dr. Jefferson looked at him, he did what he thought was appropriate. He smiled widely and tried to look as innocent as possible.

"Okay, now that we've met, I'm going to throw you out of my office so I can prepare for the luncheon. I am going to be surrounded by ten intelligent people with extraordinarily different ideas of what's actually important in Egyptology." She pointed to her hair. "Twenty-five years of that is why my hair is this lovely color."

They stood, said they'd see her in a bit, and headed back the way they'd come. As they approached Jefferson and Lyman, Daniel's cell phone rang. He flipped it open as they walked into Lyman.

"Hello?" he said.

"Jackson, where the hell are you?" Cameron Mitchell's voice shouted into his ear. "I've been looking for you all morning, at least for the last hour or so."

He frowned. "I'm in Boston," he said, then quickly added, "visiting my sister."

Aeda's eyes widened and a smile slowly quirked her lips. "Sister?" she asked.

He covered the receiver while Cameron ranted about not having enough players to start a pick-up game of basketball. "I'll explain later, I promise."

"When are you coming back?" Cameron asked.

"Sunday night."

"Oh." He shouted something to someone and then came back to the phone. "Uh,General O'Neillwas looking for you. Something about pie and philosophical discussion."

"I completely forgot that he was coming this weekend." He stopped for a moment. "Wait, pie and philosophical discussion?"

"That's what he said."

"That can't be good." He watched Aeda explain to the front desk womanthat he was, in fact, her guest and that she did, in fact, have him registered. He loved it when she got frustrated – her cheeks got pink and her hair frizzed just enough to make her look a little crazy. "Look, I'm about to meet my sister for breakfast. I'll call when I get back in on Sunday."

"You owe me a game of basketball."

"Whatever you say, Shaq." He closed the phone and met up with Aeda inside the building. She handed him a brightly colored VISITOR badge, which he attachedto his lapel as they walkeddown a series of hallways to heroffice.

"Your sister?" she asked as soon as they were insideand the door was shut.

He frowned. "I had to tell Cameron _something_."

"How about 'I'm speaking at a conference', or, and stop me if this sounds too crazy, 'I'm visiting the woman I love'?" Her wide smile told him she found it amusing.

"He's nosy. He'd want more details andtelling him that you're my sister is easier to explain than telling him you're my..."

"Girlfriend?"

"I hate that word."

She grinned. "So do I. How about red hot lover?"

He actually blushed. "Aeda, that's even worse."

Her grin widened. "So what happens if I visit and meet up with him?" she asked, coming close enough to him that he could smell her shampoo. Cinnamon – her hair had always smelled of cinnamon.

"At that point,I'll tell him."

She straightened his tie, thought better or it, and used it to pull him closer. "Whatever you say, _big brother_," she said.

"Oh, that's just plain –" She smothered his retort with a kiss, wrinkling both his tie and his shirt in the process. When she pulled away, he finished his sentence. "Wrong."

"You're very easy to fluster lately."

"Yes, well, you do have a wonderful habit of kissing me at inopportune times."

She laughed. "Yeah, it's a gift."


	4. The Effects of Intercourse

So I'm pretty sure I screwed up the timeline and I'm really sorry. I have a bad habit of writing the silly thing and forgetting to make sure the times and dates line up. I'll be better about it in the future - I promise.

You guys rock! Your reviews are awesome and I'm so happy you're enjoying it. Thanks!

As for the title, INTERCOURSE isn't just sex...

* * *

Sam awoke to sunlight filtering in through the French doors of the cabin. As she stretched her tired limbs, she became immediately aware of two things: she was naked and she was not alone. The former was realized instantly, but the latter took a moment to fully comprehend. She turned her head away from the doors and smiled at the sight that greeted her. Jack O'Neill had a major case of bed-head and he was smiling. 

"Good morning," he whispered. His arm, unseen and under the covers, came to rest along her waist and for a split second she couldn't think straight.

"Good morning," she finally managed to whisper back.

"Why are we whispering?" he asked and she laughed softly.

"I have no idea." She inched a little closer to him and his hand moved a little lower, spread the expanse of her hip.

She instantly remembered the night before – dinner at the cabin, a thrilling discussion of her most recent adventures in outer space, a sudden loss of clothing, the memory of where his hands had been – and she felt a flush rise to her cheeks. He stared at her with amusement and she wondered if he remembered everything in perfect detail as well.

"Last night was a better surprise than that time you shared your Tobblerone with me." He waggled his eyebrows as if to prove the point. "Better than chocolate milk on cheerios."

She wrinkled her nose. "Chocolate milk on cheerios?" she asked.

"Breakfast of champions."

She smiled. "Or sugar addicts. Take your pick." The hand resting on her hip tickled her slightly and she giggled. As it moved lower, she sobered slightly. She had always been afraid that if they went beyond flirtation, beyond the distance barrier they'd created for themselves, she'd lose him. That fear had quadrupled in size during the last couple of minutes. "Are we okay?" she asked quietly.

He grinned. "Of course we're okay. We're naked, but we're okay." He pulled her to him, wrapped his body around hers. He trailed kisses along her jaw, down her neck, and into the hollow of her throat and with each kiss the fear ebbed.

When he reached the skin above her breast, he looked up and said, "I'm not so sure about the bedsprings, though. They're probably NOT okay." As if to prove this suspicion, he bounced on the bed.

She couldn't help it – she laughed so hard she snorted. It didn't help when he looked at her and said sternly, "Pancakes, woman." He faked wounded pride when she continued to laugh. "Samantha, that's not very nice."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said and kissed him.

She realized, as his hands moved along familiar territory, that the pancakes would just have to wait.

* * *

The lecture hall was packed to capacity, including a hundred or so people that were standing along the back wall. Aeda sat next to Daniel in the front row, her hand on his leg to keep it from bouncing nervously. She could understand his nervousness – each time she taught more than fifty students her stomach filled with butterflies – but she was sure it was more than just stage fright. She looked over at him and smiled. He returned it wanly. 

He had spent the morning in her office, practicing his opening speech over and over again. She knew this because her graduate assistant, bless his patient heart, had listened to it for two hours straight and had offered some constructive criticism. When she'd returned from her classes at noon, the two of them had been huddled over the note cards, talking in code. She had politely extracted him for lunch and had told Greg to go back to grading papers.

Lunch had been…interesting. She'd asked him a simple question and it had turned into a twenty-minute discussion about the perils of a long distance relationship. If she had know that asking him what he wanted to do tomorrow would lead to THE CONVERSATION, she would have said something about the color of the sky. The truth was, she had know it was coming, at some point, but she hadn't expected to have THECONVERSATION while sitting on a bench in the Quad with hot dogs bought from a street vendor. She would have almost rather they'd had it just after sex – it would have been just as awkward but without an audience. Plus, she could have locked herself in the bathroom if things got really bad.

It had turned out okay, though they'd had to put it on hold because of the start of the conference. Currently, neither one of them was mentioning it, which was just fine with Aeda. She enjoyed living in Denial – she had her own house there and a comfortable chair from which she could watch the world pass by.

He still looked nervous and she leaned over to him. "I've heard the stories," she whispered. "You've done scarier things in your lifetime – including the whole Hathor thing."

He looked at her quickly. "Who told you about Hathor?" he whispered fiercely and she fought laughter.

"Sam will tell you just about anything you want to know when she's had a couple."

"She needs to work on that," he said.

"Why are you so nervous?" she asked and he frowned slightly.

"I'm an academic pariah, Aeda," he said softly. "There are people in this audience that have crucified me in the past for my ideas. I'm not really looking forward to that again."

She sighed. "Did you know that when I came to work at the SGC, I was on academic probation."

"I thought you were on sabbatical."

"That's the _nice_ word for it"

His right eyebrow arched perfectly. "Why were you on academic probation?"

"Because I don't exactly play by the rules. I teach what I want to teach and I dislike being told that my methods are unsound. I offended a fellow professor and was asked to take a leave of absence."

"Is there a point to you telling me this?" he asked.

"Because, you silly man, we all have ideas. Sometimes, they're off base and sometimes they're right on track. You're a phenomenal archeologist and," she leaned in even closer, "you're superb in bed. Knowing that, you can rest assured that you won't make a fool out of yourself."

He actually blushed, which just endeared him to her even more. "I can do this," he said.

At that moment, Dr. Jefferson walked out onto the platform and the noise of the crowd slowly died down. Aeda smiled at him. "If you can switch bodies with a pregnant space pirate, you can do this."

"Sam really needs to lay off the tequila shots."

Dr. Jefferson cleared her throat and the conversation died entirely. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I introduce our keynote speaker, Dr. Daniel Jackson."

Aeda didn't know who was more surprised by the thunderous applause: herself or Daniel. The room went wild.

She smiled at him. "If women start throwing their panties at you, I think I'm going to have a problem," she said.

He smiled back, leaned over, kissed her squarely on the mouth, and made his way to the platform.


	5. Dinner & Drinks

I have the bad feeling this story has taken on a life of its own! Thanks for the great reviews and for reading! Forewarning: there's a little bit of implied nudity in this one. Not too much, though - just enough to make me wish Michael Shanks had worked on "NYPD" at some point in his career...

Read on!

* * *

Cameron was bored. B-O-R-E-D, bored. In fact, he was so bored, he'd written every back mission report that he owed General Landry, made copies, and had submitted them personally to the curmudgeon. It hadused up only three hours of his day. Without Daniel or Sam to bother, he was literally going to go insane from the boredom. He was considering scrapping the bottom of the barrel and bothering Siler when Dr. Carolyn Lam stepped out of the elevator just down the hall from him.

"Dr. Lam," he said loudly and she turned in his direction. She paused long enough for him to catch up to herand fall into step beside her.

"Colonel Mitchell," she said by way of greeting and smiled.

He had decided about six months earlier that if Dr. Carolyn Lam wanted the world, all she had to do was smile. "What's happening?" he asked with a lopsided grin.

"Nothing, actually. I was on my way to the mess for some coffee and possibly pie."

"Did you say pie?" he asked.

She nodded. "I hear there's some really good blueberry sitting there, just asking for the taking." She smiled again and he mentally said 'yes' to any possible question she could ask him. "Care to join me?"

"Never thought you'd ask," he said.

They entered the mess, found coffee and blueberry pie, and seated themselves at a table in the corner. She took a bite of her pie before even sitting down and it made her somewhat more attractive to him – which he didn't think was possible.

"I take it you like blueberry pie," he said, pouring sugar into his coffee with abandon.

She grinned. "My favorite and it's hard to find so early in the season." She shook her head when he offered her the sugar. They sat in a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes, each of them intent on their pie and coffee.

"This place is eerily quiet today," she said finally.

He nodded. "No off-world missions scheduled, no Carter or Jackson or Teal'c."

"You're here all by yourself?" she asked and took a sip of her coffee.

He nodded. "Sam is off somewhere with a certain General," Carolyn smiled widely at this, "Daniel's visiting his sister in Boston, and Teal'c went off to visit Ishta and his son and daughter-in-law." He frowned. "Kind of like Noah's Dating Service – everyone's off, two by two."

She laughed. "Except us," she said, her coffee cup resting at chin level.

His eyebrow quirked. "You're right. Except us."

Neither of them said anything for another moment or two until Carolyn put her cup down.

"No big plans?" she asked.

If he'd been a swifter guy, he'd have understood the underlying context of the question she asked, but he wasn't.

"Nope, just me, some beer, and pre-season baseball. I love to watch the Cubs lose."

Cameron was a simple guy who didn't know the meaning of subtext. So when Carolyn asked, "Want to have dinner?" it threw him off a little.

Not enough that he didn't answer her, though, which he did – with a wide smile that he hoped came across as boyish _and_ sexy.

"Way better than beer and baseball."

* * *

Aeda stared at the elegant cocktail dress from her bed and smiled widely. She had spent a good amount of money on it, had brought it to her dry cleaners to be pressed, and there was a very good possibility that she wouldn't even wear it. Daniel's black suit hung next to it, slightly wrinkled from travel but debonair nonetheless. The dinner party was at six-thirty, with cocktails to follow at eight, and if they wanted to get there and find a good table, they would have to leave no later than six. 

It was five-forty five.

Daniel's speech had gone fantastically well, especially the bit about remembering how an archeologist is nothing more than a dust-covered theorist. That was her favorite part. That, and when the graduate student had come up to him afterwards andasked if he was available for drinks later – classic, actually. He'd been dumbstruck and if Aeda hadn't stepped in to tell the woman to bugger off, he probably would have ended up with a date for the evening.

"At least she didn't throw her panties at me," he'd said as they'd walked out of the lecture hall.

"No, she was throwing a little more than that," she had commented withhint ofjealousy.

They'd met with the other speakers for the conference and Dr. Jefferson to do an impromptu round of introductions and he'd stumbled slightly when introducing her. She had wondered if he'd ever use the term 'girlfriend' and had then hoped against it, simply for the bad taste it left in her mouth. She'd helped him out by introducing herself – Dr. Aeda Harrison, his 'friend'. The air quotes were implied.

They had said they'd see everyone at the dinner and had then left for Aeda's apartment and a very hungry Bear. She had fed the lovable creature, had turned to ask Daniel what he wanted to do until the party, and had found herself thrown over his shoulder in a highly barbaric fashion.

"Since when did you start studying the habits of cavemen?" she had asked as he'd kicked the door closed and had lowered her onto the bed.

"The whole jealousy thing back there in the lecture hall?" he'dasked as his fingers had made quick work of the black and white polka dot blouse she'd worn into work that morning.

"Mm-hm," she had responded, not really paying attention as the same nimble fingers had undone the zipper on her skirt and skimmed over her hips.

"Sexy as hell."

And that had been the end of it – conversation, clothing, all of it.

Now, they were in bed and faced with the decision of whether or not to go to the stupid dinner party. She really wanted to wear the dress – it was dark blue and kimono style, with big sleeves and a deep V-necklin and she'd spent way too much money on it at the Banana Republic on Newbury Street – but she was also insanely comfortable in bed.

"We could always go to the cocktail portion of the evening," she said aloud and Daniel shifted a little under her.

"Or we could forgo the whole thing, stay in bed, and possibly repeat that last thing we did." He kissed her head and she smiled against his chest.

"Do you see that dress?" she asked and pointed at the evil blue garment.

"Yes." He managed to draw the word out for a good five seconds.

"I paid almost as much for that dress as I did for the new muffler on Leroy."

"So what you're telling me is that you feel the need to wear it," he said and she heard the laughter in his voice even before it bubbled up to the surface. "And please tell me Leroy is the Range Rover."

She smacked his arm lightly. "Come on, we'll go have drinks, we'll mingle, and then we can come home and you can get me out of that atrociously expensive thing." She turned her head so she could see him. "Carefully, of course," she added.

"Again with the bribery. You're a lot like Jack, you know that?"

"I know." She grinned devilishly. "Should I be worried that you made that comparison while we were naked?"

She laughed at the mortified expression that crept onto his features and rose up on her elbows. "Please?" she asked.

He sighed, giving in. "Yes, we'll go have drinks. Yes, we'll go mingle. And yes, we'll come home and I will – carefully – get you out of that atrociously expensive thing."

"You're a sucker for a naked woman."

They both realized the double entendre and burst out laughing. As he kissed her on his way out of bed, she again wondered if the University of Colorado was looking for a theory professor and as his bum disappeared into the bathroom, she made up her mind to make some calls on Monday.

Just to satisfy her curiosity, of course.

* * *

There's no speech here because I was a forensic psychology major in grad school - what the hell do I know about archeology:-) Don't hurt me! 


	6. A Case of the Worries

So I realized that Daniel and Aeda and Sam and Jack had been getting all the airplay, which means there's a little bit of Teal'c and Ishta in this one. I hope you like it!

Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

Aeda's cell phone rang at what she thought was an ungodly hour – ten am on a Saturday – and she managed to answer it without waking Daniel. She flipped it open, crawled out of bed, grabbed her robe, and tiptoed out of the bedroom.

"Hello?" she asked as she pulled her robe on over her tank top and underwear. She'd been too intoxicated the night before to actually wear pajamas and Daniel had been laughing too hard to help her.

"Aeda, did I wake you?"

She smiled at the sound of Samantha Carter's voice. "A little, it's okay though."

"I can call back later," she said and Aeda sensed immediately that something was wrong.

"No, don't worry about it. Just give me a minute to feed Bear and then I'm all yours."

"Okay."

She set the phone down on the kitchen island and scooped a cup of kibble out for the Boxer, who appeared out of nowhere ready for his breakfast. She scratched his head, picked up the phone, and resumed the conversation.

"What's going on? You sound…upset?" She made coffee while she talked – mostly for Daniel. Hung-over and decaffeinated was not the way she wanted either of them to start the day.

"I slept with Jack Friday night."

She almost dropped the phone, caught it before it could hit the countertop, and brought it back to her ear. "Um, what?"

"I slept with Jack."

She could wait for coffee. "Okay," she said.

"This is big, Aeda. Huge, even." Sam really sounded worried – even more so than she had when she'd called to tell her about the Alpha Site incident and that had involved bugs.

She opened the back door for Bear and followed him out, sat down on the top step of the deck. "I'm a little confused, Sam, and I don't think it's just because I'm hung over. Why is this a bad thing?"

She could almost picture the face the blonde colonel was making – frowning, her forehead all scrunched up and her eyebrows almost touching.

"Because, Aeda…what if he leaves me?"

She really didn't mean to snort.

"Aeda. This isn't funny."

"He's not going to leave you, Sam. He's a safe bet, remember?" She watched Bear surreptitiously dig at the carrots. When he looked up and saw her, he wagged his nub of a tail and went back to digging.

"It was our first night together – what if he's decided it isn't worth it?" Sam's voice had slowly gotten more and more high pitched over the course of their somewhat one-sided conversation. It was practically to the point where only dogs could hear her.

"You know, for a scientist, you're acting highly irrationally right now."

Sam let out a frustrated sigh. "I know and I hate it. You weren't like this with Daniel, were you?"

Aeda tried to remember what she had been like that first night and the subsequent morning after. She smiled at the memory of the cabin. "No. It was later, after I'd gotten back to Boston, that I wondered all of those things. I don't remember thinking anything that first night."

Sam laughed shortly. "I'm being stupid, aren't I?" she asked.

There was the sound of movement inside the apartment and she turned to see Daniel standing in the kitchen, a cup of coffee in his hand and the newspaper opened in front of him on the countertop. He smiled at her and she thought again about Colorado – waking up every day to that man, with his messy hair and his dinosaur boxer shorts, was something she could definitely handle.

"No," she said softly, still watching him. "You're just a little paranoid and you're worried and it doesn't help that the man you love lives fifteen hundred miles away from you on a daily basis."

"Are we still talking about me?" Sam asked with a laugh.

"I had thought so, but maybe not."

"Thanks for the pep talk."

"No problem. Forget the worries, forget the what ifs, and just be happy he's there and that he loves you." She smiled widely as Daniel stepped out onto the deck. "That's what I do."

"I'll have to remember that."

"Bye Sam."

"Bye Aeda."

She closed the phone and put it in the pocket of her robe. Daniel sat down behind her, so his legs stretched out on either side of hers, and handed her the cup. "Good coffee," he said and kissed the top of her head.

"Thanks." She was suddenly giddy with the quasi-secret Sam had told her. "Sam slept with Jack," she said, unable to contain it any longer.

"Good morning to you, too," he said with what she suspected was a wide smile. She leaned back and turned her head upwards so she could see his face. He was indeed smiling. "How's she doing?"

"A little neurotic, but I think I managed to calm her down some." She sipped the coffee. "They're unnervingly like us, you know," she said softly.

He wrapped his arms around her, hugged her tightly to his chest. "Strange but true. I'll talk to her tomorrow night, when I get back."

She snuggled into his embrace. "Which reminds me, any ideas on what you'd like to do today?"

Bear brought them a carrot and spit it out at Aeda's feet. He climbed up the steps and lied down next to Daniel, nudging her elbow as he settled in. She reached out from under Daniel's arm and scratched the Boxer's ears. He sighed contentedly.

"Lots," Daniel said, brushing the hair from her shoulder.

"Are we clothed for any of them?" she asked as he kissed her neck. He had the ability to make her brain completely stop working just by kissing her. It was his hidden talent.

"Only when the delivery guy arrives."

* * *

The sun was close to setting when Teal'c found Ishta at the practice field. She was training with a wooden staff, dancing a graceful ballet of maneuvers across the dirt circle. He recognized most as those instilled in a Jaffa warrior from childhood, but there were others he had taught her and some Cameron had shown her during her last visit to the SGC. In the lowering light, she was even more beautiful and he felt a swell of pride that she was his – though he would never dare refer to her in that way out loud. He did not look forward to the bruises in which it would most surely result.

"How long have you watched?" she asked as she finished her routine and rested the staff against the rack containing its counterparts.

He bowed his head slightly. "Not long. Perhaps a couple of minutes at most." She smiled as she approached him. "You left so quickly from dinner I worried."

The smile wavered. "I needed air."

"And you have found it here."

They regarded each other in silence. It was not the first time she had disappeared for long hours since his arrival. In fact, she seemed to find excuses to not spend long periods of time alone with him during their waking hours. Once the flap of her tent closed, she was his; outside the canvas walls, however, she put as much distance between them as physically possible.

It confused him.

"Why are you avoiding me, Ishta?" he asked quietly.

She frowned at him. "I am not avoiding you. I have things to attend to during the day. You knew that before you decided to visit." She brushed past him, headed back towards the encampment. "Perhaps you should not have come."

He took her elbow, gently, and she turned back towards him. "We see each so rarely, I had hoped an unplanned visit would help our spirits." When she said nothing, he let go of her arm. "I was wrong," he said.

"I want you here, with me," she said softly. He tilted his head to the side, concentrated solely on her. "I hate that you come to visit, but you never stay. I hate that three nights pass and then you are gone and I never know exactly when I will see you again."

"The Tauri need me, Ishta," he said.

"And _my people_ need me."

Something passed between them, unspoken and ugly, and he nodded in acknowledgement. Whatever they had worked for together was gone now. He bowed his head slightly with the weight of it.

"I will gather my things and return to Earth tonight," he said and took a step towards the encampment.

She stopped him with a hand to his chest. "Stay tonight. Leave in the morning. One last evening together, one last good-bye."

He brushed a strand of hair from her forehead and nodded. He leaned down and kissed her, their tears mixing as their cheeks met. In the morning, they would return to their lives, but in that moment, in that night, they were all that mattered.

It broke his heart to say good-bye in the morning and he left just before daybreak so as to avoid the women of the camp. He turned back only once, at the top of the steps to the Stargate, to see her face once more, and then he was gone.

* * *

I probably should have warned you - that last part was a little depressing. What can I say? When my love life sucks, so do the love lives of my characters...I need a really big chocolate chip cookie... 


	7. Somewhere in the Middle

Okay kiddies...it's winding down. Keep reading, keep reviewing. I love the little boost in the morning when I see I've got a new review - good or bad, it's just nice to know people are reading it.

Thanks for the support!

* * *

"There is every possibility that this will push us over the edge," Carolyn said with a devious smile.

Cameron shrugged. "I don't know about you, but I'm kind of past the point of caring."

"Well, then, shall we?"

They raised their forks and each took a bite of the gigantic piece of chocolate cake the waiter had brought for them to split. Judging by the look on her face, Carolyn was just as happy with the dessert as he was, if not more so.

Dinner had been good. The wine had been good. The conversation and the dessert were excellent. Other than Sam, his interactions with intelligent women were limited. He'd dated prom queens and homecoming queens in high school and the occasional sorority girl in college, but there was never a MENSA candidate among them. Intelligent conversation had always consisted of lengthy discussions about the best way to dye blonde hair to red without shocking the world.

Carolyn Lam was not that kind of girl. She used words Cameron had only ever seen in print. She knew enough Chinese that she'd been able to carry on a short-lived conversation with him about the best places to get Szechwan chicken in Colorado Springs. She was also really good at Scrabble, or so she claimed, and worked on the New York Times crossword puzzle every Sunday morning, during breakfast.

She loved really bad science fiction movies, read trashy romance novels while on vacation, and refused to drink anything that came with an umbrella and fruit attached to the glass. In the span of two hours, at an Italian restaurant they'd found by accident, he hadlearned more about her than he knew about most of SG-1. In fact, there were only two subjects that stayed off limits: her relationship with her father and his experiences in the Gulf. Neither were necessary topics and it seemed they had an unspoken agreement to that fact.

"This cake should be illegal," she said with her mouth full.

He grinned. "It probably is. Place like this is probably run by the mob."

"In Colorado?"

"What better place to hide?" He took another bite.

"Valid point." She took one last bite and put her fork down on the plate. "Have you ever been to Acacia Park at night?" she asked.

He paused with the fork almost to his mouth and his eyebrow raised. "No…why?"

"Just curious." She finished her wine, looked at him with a bright smile – the smile he couldn't say no to. "Want to go, walk around, play some shuffleboard?"

He looked his watch. "It's almost eight o'clock."

"So? Do you have another date after this one?"

She'd called it a date. He'd put on a clean shirt and clean jeans and manly sandals and he'd met her downtown. He'd thought that it was maybe a date, but he'd never expected her to actually admit to it being a date. This was big, possibly huge. He was on a date with Carolyn Lam…the General's daughter.

Could a game of shuffleboard with the General's daughter get him a court martial?

She was looking at him expectedly. "You're not afraid I'll kick your butt at shuffleboard, are you?" she teased.

It was all the prodding he needed.

He grinned widely. "You're on, Doc."

They paid the bill (actually, he paid the bill before she had a chance to even open her purse, for which he was rewarded with a thin frown and a slap on the arm) and made their way out of the crowded restaurant and onto the street. He honestly had no ideawhere Acacia Park was so he let her lead the way. They walked side by side, slowly, through the maze of downtown streets, their arms brushing against each other as they moved along the sidewalk.

"You seem to know Colorado Springs pretty well," he said.

She smiled. "I went to college here, a long time ago."

He heard the note of sadness in her voice and, on impulse, took her hand in his. When she didn't pull it away but instead squeezed his hand, he smiled back at her.

She pointed to something in the distance and he followed her line of sight to a lighted blue and white mushroom-like structure, surrounded by jets of water.

"What the hell…?" he asked as they crossed Bijou Street.

"That's Uncle Wilber Fountain," she explained.

"It looks like Uncle Wilber was on acid."

Carolyn laughed and pulled him deeper into the park. As they neared the shuffleboard building, it became apparently clear that it was closed down for the season. She stopped a hundred feet or so from it and frowned. "Now what?" she asked with disappointment.

An idea popped into his head. "How does a movie at Kimballs sound?"

"What's playing?"

He shrugged. "Does it matter? We could always stand here and wait until June for shuffleboard…" She again slapped him on the arm. "Come on. We'll walk down, see what's playing, and if it isn't anything good I'll take you home."

"Or you could just take me home," she suggested.

He looked at her, saw something in her eyes that convinced him home was a good option, and grinned. "Or, I could just take you home."

"And you could come in," she said.

"That I could." He frowned. "Might change some things, though."

She smiled at him, shrugged. "I like change."

"Well, I was certainly hoping you'd say that."

* * *

Aeda watched Daniel pack his suitcase from the comfort of her bedroom chair, an old leatheroverstuffed monstershe'd bought at a flea market for fifty bucks when she'd first moved to the city. It was broken in and comfortable and it was the perfect spot from which to watch her archeologist pack up his things. Bear was asleep at her feet, snoring softly in the quiet of the Sunday morning. Daniel's flight wasn't until three, but they were meeting her parents for brunch at eleven and he wanted to be packed before then so they could go straight from the restaurant to the airport.

"Should I be worried about meeting your family?" he asked as he folded a badly wrinkled oxford shirt. She recognized it as the one he'd worn to his keynote speech. She smiled at the memory - no wonder it was wrinkled.

She shook her head. "My parents are very mellow people. Don't let the whole Admiral thing phase you. You're intelligent and I love you and I'm positive they'll love you as well."

"Where are we eating?" He held up a green sock. "This isn't mine," he said.

She grinned. "No, it's mine." He threw the sock at her and she let it land on Bear's sleeping form. He didn't even flinch. "The Blue Room in Cambridge. They have really great omelets."

He put the last of his t-shirts into the suitcase and sighed. "I really hate this."

"Well, it's an old suitcase."

He smiled slightly. "Not the suitcase. The whole leaving thing, the packing and the unpacking and the packing again. The waking up tomorrow morning alone." He frowned. "It…sucks."

"Eloquently put, Dr. Jackson." She stood from the chair and came around to where he was slumped against the suitcase. "What if I told you I'd had a sudden epiphany Friday night?" she asked, straightening his collar.

He eyed her warily. "I'd say, elaborate."

She looked up at him. The curiosity she loved sparkled in his eyes, but his face betrayed nothing. "I've decided I like Colorado."

"I already knew that."

"I maylike Colorado more than I like Massachusetts."

She hadn't actually spoken those words aloud before and now that they were out in the open, they settled between them with tangible weight. She was hoping for some sort of reaction.

She wasn't disappointed.

"No. You're not moving out there." The curiosity in his eyes disappeared and he backed away from her, tripped over the bench at the end of the bed, and landed on the hardwood floor with an audible thump.

She stared at him in surprise. "Right," she said quietly and tears pricked at her eyes. She bit her cheek and willed them to go away.

He must have heard the hurt in her voice because his expression softened and he relaxed on the ground. "That didn't come out quite right."

"I'd hope not." She sat down on the bench, stared at him with her best "explain it to me" expression and waited.

He sighed. "I will never ask you to give up what you have here. I made that promise to myself after the first weekend I visited. You fit in here, you belong here, and I'm not willing to ask you to move away from it, from your family."

"You're not asking me, Daniel. I'm the one suggesting it."

"I know, and I'm telling you no."

She shrank almost immediately. This had seemed like such a good idea two days ago. She had thought he'd want her around, but now it seemed as though their relationship wasn't something he wanted within his immediate vicinity.

He sensed it. "Oh no...no," he said, bringing himself up to his knees and closing the distance between them with lightning speed. His hands cupped her face, wiped away tears she wasn't even aware she'd begun to cry. "No, don't even think what I know you're thinking, because you're lying to yourself."

"We can end it."

"No. God, you're a pain in the ass, Aeda. You're way too easy going." She could feel him shaking."Fight for this. Fight for the whole goddamn thing." There was something breaking in his voice. "I love you too much to let you just go away." He kissed her cheek. "I don't care how close or how far away we are, it doesn't change the fact that I love you and I want you to be happy."

"I am happy," she said as he kissed her forehead, her nose, her other cheek. "More happy than I ever thought I'd be again."

"If you want to move to Colorado, then do it. But do it for yourself, not for me."

He pulled back and she looked at him, saw the truth in his face, felt it in the way he held her. She pulled him back to her, kissed him so hard she left them both breathless. He rested his forehead against hers, their noses touching. It was something that had been coming, building like a storm out over the ocean. She could see it on Friday in the Quad and had hoped it would just go away.

In a way, she was glad it hadn't.

"Have I told you today how beautiful you are?" he asked as the clouds moved away and the sun began to break through.

"I'm pretty sure I'm a mess right now,"she said, wiping tears from her flushed cheeks.

"You're my mess and you're beautiful." He kissed her again, pushed a little so she'd lean back, and began to undo the knot of her robe. "I've never wanted anyone more." His words blew hot wind across her collarbone.

"We'll be late for brunch," she said, not really caring as his fingers roamed. She undid the buttons of his shirt, helped him out of it.

"That seems to be a bad habit of ours."

His mouth skimmed over the swell of her breast and her breath hitched. His hands tickled her sides slightly and she laughed.

Hmm…make-up sex or brunch? A difficult question, she was sure. He kissed her stomach and answered it for her.

They were going to _very_ late for brunch.

* * *

A/N: Rating's a little higher on this one, 'cause of the foggy glasses. I hope you liked it. :-) 


	8. Breakfast with Sam

Forewarning - this chapter is mostly just filler and probably a little boring. I promise the next couple of chapters will be full of action, adventure, and even more lovey-dovey-ness than ever before.

On with the show!

P.S. The SGC isn't mine, but Aeda is.

* * *

It was a long running joke throughout the SGC that Daniel didn't like Monday mornings. Almost always, something went wrong on a Monday morning. The whole Sarah/Osiris debacle had gone down on a Monday morning. Jack's first encounter with the Ancient's head-sucking technology had happened on a Monday morning. Bad things just seemed to happen on Monday mornings. So, he tended to go into work late on Mondays – arriving right around lunchtime instead of at seven like the rest of the SGC. Occasionally, if the general had scheduled something for a Monday morning, he'd come in on time but everyone knew it was with protest. He was funny that way.

So, on the Monday after he got back from Boston, he met up with Sam for breakfast at a diner in downtown Colorado Springs with absolutely no intent of finding out how things had gone for her with Jack as a houseguest. That changed when the smile she presented him with was brighter than the early April sunshine.

"You're scaring me," he said as they sat down in a window booth and ordered coffee.

"Why?" she asked, opening her menu.

He took his glasses off and perched them on top of his head. "Because, you're smiling like a crazy person."

"I'm happy."

"I can tell."

The waitress stopped by and they both ordered coffee. As she walked away, he took his glasses off and rested them on the booth. When he looked up at her, the smile was still going, full watt.

"Go ahead and ask, Daniel. You know I'm going to ask _you _all about Boston, so just go ahead and get your Jack interrogation out of your system." She never even looked up from her menu.

He grinned. She was very good at reading him, even without looking at him. "So, how was your visit with Jack?"

At this she looked up. "I'm smiling, Daniel. I've been smiling since Friday night and I can tell you right now that I don't think I can stop it. I try, but every time I try to frown, I feel like I pull a muscle."

His grin widened. "Aeda told me about Friday night."

Her smile faded just a little. "She's not very good at keeping secrets."

"Actually, she's fantastic at keeping secrets. You, on the other hand, have been telling her far too much about our exploits."

The smile returned, as did the waitress with their coffee and a pad to take their orders. Sam ordered eggs and bacon with toast and he settled for French toast and hash browns. When she left them again, they went back to their original conversation.

"She asked me over lunch one day. I couldn't _not_ tell her."

"That's a double negative."

She stuck her tongue out at him in a very uncharacteristic gesture of immaturity. "Anyway. I only told her the really funny things."

"Which reminds me – did you tell Jack about the multiple versions of yourself?" His smile widened when she shrank a little. "I didn't think so. How about the thing with the bugs?"

"He already knew about that one."

Their food arrived and they again waited for their waitress to leave so they could talk. When she was gone, Sam leaned forward and motioned for him to do the same. He leaned in and said, "What?"

"Does Jack know you're sleeping with his goddaughter?"

"Yes." At least he thought Jack knew. Of course, Aeda was really good at keeping secrets so there _was _a chance that Jack knew...well, jack about it all.

"Just checking." She leaned back and took a bite of her eggs. "How is Aeda?"

"She wants to move out here." Sam choked on her eggs and he nodded. "I know. I kind of had the same reaction and she took it to mean the wrong thing."

"What happened?" she croaked.

He sighed. "I love her, Sam, but we have lives on completely opposite ends of the continent. I can't ask her to move out here for me, just like I know she wouldn't ask me to move out there for her."

He ate some of his French toast, contemplated everything they'd said before having brunch with her family. He'd fallen in love with her all over again Sunday morning, when he'd seen her with her family. Her father was an older version of Jack and her mother reminded him in so many ways of his own – beautiful and intelligent and funny. Aeda was a perfect mixture of Belvedere and Carolina.

"Where does it stand?"

"Back in limbo where it likes to be." He smiled thinly. "We'd see each other even less if she was out here, and I'd constantly be worried about her. At least this way, I know she's safe. Boston is so far removed from Colorado."

"You're being awfully optimistic," she said with a smile almost as bright as her earlier version.

He grinned. "I'm testing out Teal'c's theory, that every once in awhile something good has to happen, if for no other reason than to just balance out the bad."

"Teal'c?"

He nodded. "That, or Confucius."

"Same difference."

They ate their breakfast quietly, discussing simple things every so often, and eventually Sam told him about the developments that had occurred during his short absence. Ishta and Teal'c had called it quits, apparently leavingboth Jaffa heartbroken. Cameron and Dr. Lam had gone out to dinner on Saturday and had apparently spent the night together, though Cameron wasn't spilling the full story. Sam was convinced she could get him to tell her everything eventually.

Jack had flown out Sunday night on a red-eye, with promises of coming back at least once a month from then on – promises he intended to keep. He told her that he loved her, which he had done before, but for some reason it felt more real when he was in front of her than it did over the phone. To see him say the words was, in Sam's view, even more wonderful than to just hear them spoken aloud.

Daniel had called Aeda upon arriving in Denver to tell her that he was alive and on the ground. She told him she was lounging half-naked in her living room and he had to stop for a minute in the middle of the airport and collect himself. When they said good-bye, he could hear the sadness in her voice, but she laughed at his lame jokes and he promised to call her in the morning, which he had.

"It never gets any easier to say good-bye, does it?" Sam asked suddenly, interrupting their silence.

He looked up from his plate and frowned. "No, not for any of us."

"Do you ever worry that when you say it, it's the last one?"

He shook his head. "I don't want to think about it. Maybe that's why I always call her, just before we head out, just to say something, anything, so she won't worry."

She smiled slightly. "I do that, too, except I know Jack worries. All the time."

He returned her smile. "So does Aeda, even if she won't admit it."

"Couple of peas in a pod, huh?" she asked.

He nodded, raised his coffee cup. "That we are, Samantha. That we are."

* * *

A/N: You guys rock! Your reviews are all so supportive and encouraging. Thanks for all the good press. :-)

I've actually written the ending, which will probably be up some time this coming weekend unless something horrible happens, like the Red Sox losing to the Orioles.


	9. Surprise, Surprise

Alrighty, this is it! I've been trying to get this silly thing finished for the last three weeks and here it is. Simple and sweet, hopefully just like the last chapters. Thanks for all the reviews and the constant support - you guys are awesome readers!

Don't worry - Aeda isn't gone for good. I've got lots of plot bunnies in store for my favorite homegrown character. Keep your eyes peeled for new stories in the future.

None but Aeda belong to me.

* * *

Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell had what he liked to call "Pretty Girl Radar". He prided himself on being able to tell when a pretty girl was within at least a hundred feet of him, even if he couldn't see her. It was a gift, a special talent he used to amuse his friends. It was also how he knew when Sam and Carolyn Lam were in his vicinity.

So, it came as a surprise to him when the elevator doors on the twenty-eighth level opened and a beautiful brunette in civies stepped out into the hallway. His radar hadn't even blipped. He blamed the miles of concrete and moved past it.

"Good morning," he said as he fell into step beside her. The ID tag hanging from the lapel of her overcoat read "visitor" but her clearance was just a step lower than his. Interesting.

She smiled. "Good morning."

"Are you looking for someone in particular?" he asked, curious about her presence.

"I am, but I know my way."

She sounded posh, polished. "Been here before, have you?"

She smiled, again. "So close to 'come here often' but much more eloquent." She didn't laugh, but he could see amusement on her face. "I used to work here," she explained.

This stopped him. She continued on and, at the corner, she turned back and waved. "Pleasure meeting you, Cameron." Then she disappeared down the hallway.

He was positive he'd never told her his name.

* * *

Aeda Harrison took in the state of Dr. Daniel Jackson's office and sighed. When she'd left the SGC, it had been in order – books on shelves, artifacts in boxes, a clear workspace. Now it looked as though he'd lost his patience and had allowed chaos to reign again. He sat in the middle of it, bent over a tablet and scribbling furiously on a notepad next to him.

"Had I known you'd mess it all up again, I never would have left," she said smartly.

His concentration broke like a balloon at the sound of her voice and he looked up in surprise. Slowly, as if registering her presence, he took his glasses off. "Oh my god," he said, a smile spreading across his face.

"Hello, Daniel," she said, suddenly very happy.

"Hello, Aeda," he replied.

She pointed to his workbench. "Any chance there's a spot to sit on?"

He shuffled some papers around as she crossed the room. She stopped only inches away from him and could feel the heat he radiated. It was enough to push her resolve over the edge. She reached for him and in an instant she found herself sitting on the cleared space, his mouth on hers, and the buttons on her blouse quickly coming undone.

"Long time, no see," he said, his breath hot against her collar bone.

"Well, the novelty of phone sex wore off pretty quickly."

He laughed, kissed her again. It reminded her of just how long it had been since they'd seen each other. Six weeks _was_ an awfully long time. His hand was working its way across the bare flesh above her obscenely expensive bra when someone cleared their throat.

They pulled back slightly and looked to the doorway of Daniel's office. Cameron stood there, shock on his face, his jaw slightly agape. Aeda thought it gave him the look of a little boy.

"Hey Cameron," Daniel said, deftly buttoning her blouse as he watched his teammate. "What's up?"

Aeda did her best not to laugh.

Cameron, on the other hand, wasn't having much luck containing his laughter. "Not much, Danny boy."

Daniel cleared his throat, stood back a little bit. "Um, have you met Aeda Harrison?" he asked, searching for his glasses. Aeda found them and handed them to him.

Aeda smiled. "In the hallway. I was wearing more clothes."

Cameron laughed a little harder. "Let me guess. This is the mysterious 'sister'?"

Daniel nodded. "About that…"

Cameron's laughter turned chest-deep. "I knew you didn't have a sister." He smiled at Aeda. "Nice to meet you, Aeda. Dan, I'm going to head up to Sam's lab and when you guys are done…whatever it is I interrupted, come up and say 'hello'."

Daniel nodded. "Sure thing."

Cameron stepped out into the hallway and out of sight, though they could hear him laughing loudly as he walked away. Daniel leaned forward and rested his head against her chest. "Sam's never going to let me live this down."

She patted his head. "Oh, honey, I'm thinking it isn't Sam you need to worry about."

His response was a groan, which made her laugh. He lifted his head and rested his hands on the table on either side of her. "Don't think I'm not thrilled to see you, but what are you doing here?"

She smiled. "There was a conference in Denver."

"Okay."

She took his glasses off, folded the arms in, and placed them on the table next to her. "I wanted to surprise you."

"I'm very surprised." He kissed her chin and slowly moved his lips down the expanse of her neck. When he hit her collarbone, her control snapped and she grabbed his face in both hands. "Yes?" he asked.

"Perhaps it would be wise to lock the door," she suggested, her voice a little breathless.

"Good point."

A half hour later and more than a little disheveled, they made their way up a couple of levels to Sam's lab. Aeda suppressed a giggle as Daniel tried to straighten out his shirt.

"Need some help?" she asked, nonchalant. She'd given up on her hair ten minutes earlier and had wrapped it up in a bun at the back of her neck.

He frowned. "No. I'm thinking the wrinkles are beyond your control at this point." This only made her giggle harder. "By the way, where did you learn that last thing?"

She didn't look at him, just stared straight ahead at the elevator doors. "I'm a Harvard professor, Daniel. I read. A lot."

"Yeah. I'm gonna need to borrow that book."

She turned and smiled at him. "You can't handle that book." It earned her a laugh.

The elevator stopped and they waited for the doors to open. When they finally did, he caught her arm and she looked at him. "What?" she asked.

"I love you," he said softly.

She smiled. "I love you, too."

He reached down, took her hand, and together they stepped out into the corridor. As he squeezed her hand, she decided the whole having to wait for each other was worth it, just for moments like these. She'd stay in Boston and visit Colorado whenever she could, mostly because she'd discovered that wherever he was felt just like home.

* * *

Well, what do you think:-) 


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